Top 5 Halloween Season Films -El Goro
And for today’s top 5 films we have friend of the show El Goro:
Hey folks, this is El Goro from The Talk Without Rhythm Podcast. If you listen to TWoRP or my annual 31 Days of Halloween insanity (ABP: Always Be Pimpin’!) you’ll know that Halloween is my favorite holiday of the year. And what better way to celebrate this most glorious day than with a movie marathon? Well, I SUPPOSE you could go to a Halloween party and hook up with some chick dressed up as a sexy Big Bird, but if you’re here I’m just gonna assume y’all are as lame as I am (Love Ya DZ!). So kick back, grab the candy corn, crack open a pumpkin ale and check out my Top 5 Halloween Films (in no particular order and excluding John Carpenter’s Halloween ’cause that would be too easy).
It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966)
I know what you’re thinking. It’s cliché. It’s kid’s stuff. It’s fuckin’ Peanuts! But piss on you: It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown has been a Halloween tradition of mine since I was just a lil Goro. See, my teachers used to always play this movie around Halloween as a way of pacifying us sugar-addled spawns of Satan since we were WAY to amped for trick-or-treating to focus on class. Since then, this 25-minute slice o’ nostalgia has been come inexorably linked with Halloween in my muddled little brain. And for those that think that this short has nothing horrific to offer up, consider the existential despair Linus faces when his faith in the Great Pumpkin falters. Consider further the ecstatic zeal he expresses to Charlie Brown when he vows that the Great Pumpkin will surely come next year. Folks, we are witnessing the howling birth of a deep-seated psychosis. I like to imagine that next year Linus will prepare the way for the coming of The Great (Old) Pumpkin by ritualistically sacrificing some of the Peanuts cast. Like Snoopy. Fuck that guy.
Murder Party (2007)
For some reason Murder Party gets overlooked even by many horror fans with an eye towards the indie scene. I don’t know why: this clever little black comedy has been entertaining me on Halloween for 5 years running. Maybe it’s because I know more than a few people that are dead-ringers for the pretentious artists skewered (sometimes literally) in this psychotically enjoyable satire. If you haven’t given Murder Party a shot, I highly recommend checking it out this year.
Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)
Season of the Witch has long been the favored whipping boy of pissed-off horror fans who can’t square with the notion of a Halloween flick without the beloved Michael Myers. Thankfully, there are a number of us who can look past Michael’s absence to appreciate Halloween III for what it is: a fun horror flick that’s positively dripping with Halloween ambience. And little kids’ brains: this movie does not spare the rod with the child characters, and ends on such an Apocalyptic down note that I can’t help but marvel at the weight of the balls on display. Plus, Tom Atkins was, is and will always be the man. Fuck the haters: Halloween III: Season of the Witch will always be a holiday staple for me!
Trick ‘r Treat (2007)
Speaking of holiday staples, Trick ‘r Treat has become a TWoRP tradition since 2010. This wickedly gruesome anthology perfectly captures the season. That it was denied a proper theatrical release is one of the great crimes against the horror genre. Still, it’s readily available on DVD and blu ray and should be part of every respecting horror fan’s Halloween viewing. Just remember to let those jack-o-lanterns burn all night. Sam is always watching.
The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
Now I know most of us get pissed when stores start selling Christmas decorations in October. Seems every year Christmas encroaches more and more on our beloved season. Well Nightmare Before Christmas can help ease the insertion of Yuletide cheer into our Halloween happenings. Yes, that’s an anal sex reference. Keepin’ it classy folks! Anyway, I’ve been in love with this movie since I was 8 years old, and even its popularity amongst the Hot Topic-set can’t diminish my adoration for this film. It’s the perfect capstone for every Halloween.
So that’s it, my Top 5 Halloween Films. 5 hours and 57 minutes of gruesome glee sure to spice up any Halloween spree. Thanks for making it to the end of my random rantings and vile vociferations, and thanks to the Drunken Zombie Crew for inviting me to share them with you. Happy Halloween! Salutatious Samhain! Adios.
